How can you not smile while watching this opening? Sonic Mania was one of those games that you thought you would never see again officially, but Christian Whitehead and Sega surprised us with this blast from the past. This opening oozes with charm and makes you feel like playing a Sonic game from the Genesis era. This is due part to the wonderful animation done by Aaron Webber.
The animation in this opening is one of the most impressive works I have ever seen. The character expressions match their personalities perfectly. You have Sonic, the cool confident guy who has a careless side to him; Tails, the child who is amazed at everything he sees around him; and Knuckles being Knuckles. This helps that the backgrounds are all colorful and the level of detail with the lightening of signs and eyes just make me feel like a kid watching a Saturday morning cartoon. Webber would go on to make two mini series that helped promote this game and Team Sonic Racing. I would do anything to have more of this in my life.
To accompany the gorgeous set piece is a track called “Friends” by Hyper Potions. I had never heard of them prior to their work for this game and I am now a massive fan. The idea and theme behind the title “Friends” makes me think that this is an old friend that has recently comeback into my life. It makes me think that no matter what hardships go on in life, I have the support of my close friends behind my back no matter what. This translates to the game since you do have the support of Tails and Knuckles (and later Mighty and Ray) as they can do things that Sonic cannot do; which includes air travel, destroying walls, and gliding. It is the idea that it takes everyone together to uncover all of the paths and secrets that are hidden in the game.
Overall, this is a solid opening. If you have never played Sonic Mania or have seen the Sonic Mania Shorts, I highly recommend it. I have been jamming to the opening theme the entire time writing this and now I want to pick the game back up and play it through again
Tune in tomorrow for Day 5!
DanamesX
Tales From The Backlog 